Juniors who have learned the basic rules and skills of tennis may begin competing in tournaments. In the Houston area, novice players may gain experience by competing in non-sanctioned tournaments. Non-sanctioned means that the match results are not used for ranking and rating purposes. USTA membership is not required. More competitive players may participate in the ZAT, Championship and Super Championship level tournaments. These are sanctioned events, offered by the USTA Texas Section. The results of sanctioned tournaments are used for ranking and rating. USTA membership is required. .